Burning Bridges (29 page)

BOOK: Burning Bridges

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Adamo and I climbed the veranda stairs and he knocked on the door. Seconds passed with no answer.
“
Maybe they
’
re around back.
”
Adamo led the way to the back of the house and I could hear grunting and the sound of wood slamming against wood
as we drew nearer
. It brought back memories—
memories both good and bad.
Carriage wheels
, old mats, slabs of wood, and garbage can lids
l
ay strewn in the yard
, the only practice equipment we found that came free of charge.

“
Hey!
”
Adamo yelled out.
There were two guys on the
ground
wrestling by the fence
, their arms around each other
’
s necks and faces red from exertion. They untangled from each other and stood to greet Adamo. I recognized them as Ciprean and Kale, neighborhood thieves.

“
Ad! Long time
,
no see!
”
Kale—
short, spiky
hair and thin like a lamppost—
hugged Adamo and thumped him on the head. He
then
looked at me and froze.

Ciprean stood just behind them and a slow smile played on his lips.
“
He
’
s back!
”
He lunged
at m
e and wrapped his arms around my
neck
.
“
Gods, have I
missed you. Where have you been?
”

“
I
’
m not back,
”
I said with a frown.
“
I don
’
t eve
n
know why I
’
m here.
”

“
I think I do,
”
came a voice.
We all turned and there, with a crowbar and a wrench in his hands, was Giovanni.

“
Gio,
”
I said.
“
It
’
s been a
while.
”

“
A
while? Is that what they
’
re calling four years now?
”
He arched an eyebrow at me and I sighed.
“
Want to talk?
”
His eyes watched me cautiously.

I glanced around at the guys and nodded. Not that I owed any of them an explanation, but
Giovanni, the guy who
had
practically raised me,
deserved more
.
Although I was reluctant on coming, b
eing here made me realize
how much I truly missed him
.

I followed Giovanni to a bench and he tossed the wrench and crowbar into a bin. He was getting old, I noted. He l
imped with his right leg and his
full beard had flecks of grey in it. He
’
d shaven his head bald and it r
eally made the slight wrinkles o
n his face apparent. Though, Giovanni was still very much a prodigy. He was the wisest person I knew, which made it hard to want to listen to his advice sometimes. It shamed me to be
here
because a friend had drug me back,
but I learned you coul
dn
’
t run from him. You always ca
me back.

“
Want to explain why you left?
”
he asked, his voice deep and burdened.

I shrugged and said,
“
I did it for my family. I couldn
’
t be here and with them at the same time. The twins barely knew how to feed themselves and my mother was sick, what did you expect me to do?
”

Giovanni told Adamo and the guys to work on their lifts and they obediently turned away. Giovanni said,
“
Has it ever occurred to you that Milo and Misty are not your children and Carys is not your wife? Your entire childhood was
so easily
spent cleaning up after their mistakes
that
you barely had time to make your own and grow from them. Ayden, you were a man before you
were
even
thirteen
.
”

“
I know.
”
I cringed and rubbed at my neck.
“
But if I don
’
t do it, who will? Can you imagine if I
’
d just left them? Who knows what would have happen
ed
? I can
’
t even think about it.
”

“
Then think about yourself for once. You are in no condition to support a family, Ayden. Mentally or physically. When you
’
re done laboring all over the place, working here and there, do you honestly think there will be anything left in you to go on?
This just isn
’
t your time.
”

“
So
,
I
’
m supposed to let them die
,
then?
”
I asked angrily.

“
No,
”
he calmly answered.
“
You do all you can, and then you let someone help you.
”

I glanced away from him and stared over at the guys working.
I didn
’
t say anything because a part of me knew he was right, that that was truly my problem. I shut everything off
, everyone out. Maybe because I
didn
’
t want to be disappointed
,
or simply because it was my family business
, not his or Adamo
’
s
. The only one who
’
d ever truly broken through
to me
was Echo, and she never had to say a thing.

“
It
’
s not your fault, you know? Life is the way it is, Ayden, and you always have a choice. Right now, you can choose to sit here and mope around or you can get up and do something with yourself. Let your father take some responsibility for a change. If he won
’
t listen to you, he
’
ll listen to me.
”

I cracked my knuckles and averted my eyes to the sun, which was
now
setting slowly just beyond the horizon. It was getting late.
“
What if I told you I used to be afraid of letting go? That I never imagined carrying on with life and leaving here behind?
”
I looked back at him
and a small smile twitched at the corners of his mouth
.
“
What if I told you I
now
found a reason
to why any of that shouldn
’
t have mattered in the first place?
”

“
I
’
d say you
’
ve changed, Ayden Grey. And whatever has caused that change in you, you shouldn
’
t let it go.
”
He looked out at the sun.
“
It
’
s made you remember what you are. Whoever she is.
”

I smiled and stood up from the bench. The sky had bled into a red-orange, the tall trees casting shadows against the dim of daylight. The cicadas had quieted to a soft hum, but they were still out there, somewhere.
“
How
’
d you know?
”
I asked
Giovanni. Adamo cried
uncle
behind us and we laughed.

“
Ah, to be young and in love. A mystery of life. A blessing and a curse.
”
He stood, using the fence behind him for support.
“
You know where to find me. Just don
’
t go running off into trouble. Tell this girl she has to be m
indful with you, she caught herself a wild one.
”

I sighed and shook my head.
“
Yeah. I
’
ll tell her. Take care, Gio.
”

He nodded and I walked away, feeling like the world had finally
laid
its sins
off my shoulders. I got halfway down the street when Adamo stopped me. Sweaty, filthy, and smelling like burnt rubber, he said,
“
Where you off to now? I swear, I
’
ll have to get a leash for you.
”

I shrugged him away with a smile.
“
I
’
m going to meet my Princess lover.
”

“
So, she is your lover?
”
he said with a coy smile.

“
No.
”

“
So, then why—
”

I sighed and pushed Adamo in the other direction.
“
Weren
’
t you just doing something?
”

He stopped walking and kicked at the dirt.
“
Alright!
I
’
m going to act, for a moment, that what you
’
re doing isn
’
t going to kill you. Ayden!
”

When I kept walking
,
Adamo finally gave up and ran back to Giovanni
’
s. I strolled in the opposite direction, towards the border, with a smile on my lips and Echo on my mind.

Different
guards were posted at the border this time, and I recognized none of them
but one. The same one who let Echo slip through when the country was on watch for her
, Liamick
. He looked at me as I approached and told the others to stand down as they readied their swords.

“
What
’
s
this about?
”
I asked him, staring down a guard who hadn
’
t removed his eyes from me yet.

“
Ayden Grey, right?
”
I nodded.
“
You are no longer
permitted
on New Haven
soil
. You will have to find work elsewhere.
”

No,
”
I ground through clenched teeth.
“
There
’
s been a mistake. There has to be. Is there a list? Check the list.
”
The guards searched my eyes and I searched back. No longer
permitted
? If this hadn
’
t been so serious I would have laughed.

Liamick
moved back to the small room just before the gates and flipped th
rough his book. M
y
jaw
and fists clenched
,
and I could feel every nerve in my body come alive with terror.

He shook his head and said,
“
I
’
m sorry. The King has revoked your privil—
”

“
He can
’
t do this!
”
I yelled.
I
raked my fingers through my hair and breathed deeply. I needed to see her. I looked at them.
“
I have to see her!
”

Liamick
watched me and moved in front of the rest
of the guards
. He walked up to me and put a hand on my shoulder.
“
This doesn
’
t
have to do with the girl I
let pass
through here
, does it?
”